Sheaths for blades have been provided to store blades of kitchen cutlery, kitchen tools and various other implements. Such sheaths have included various structurally independent mechanisms for securing blades within the sheaths, such as straps, clips and clamps. Other sheaths have been provided in shapes that are difficult or expensive to manufacture.
A fold-over sheath is known in which a sheath is formed by folding over a sheet of material to form two halves, i.e., a top half and a bottom half. The fold-over sheath includes a closed side where the sheet has been folded and an open side where two ends of the sheet meet to form a top edge and a bottom edge. The open end where the top and bottom edges meet is configured to hold a blade between the edges.
One disadvantage of such a fold-over sheath is that the top and bottom edges are configured to engage a blade positioned therein along a side of the blade near the edge of the blade. such a configuration can results in a loose grip on the blade, particularly in instances wherein a thin cutting edge of the blade is secured between the top and bottom edges of the fold-over sheath. Another disadvantage of the fold-over sheath is that forces applied by the blade to the fold-over seam formed in the sheath sidewall may cause the separation of the folded members and inadvertently expose the blade to the user. Even proper orientation of the blade within the fold-over sheath does not ensure that the blade will be secured in a way that prevents inadvertent sliding of the blade from the sheath due to the opening between the top and bottom edges. Hence a need exists for a single unitary sheath which removably secures blades within the sheath without added components or parts and in a shape which provides ease of manufacture and reduces expense associated with same. A need also exists for a single unitary sheath which prevents inadvertent sliding or removal of the blade from the sheath.
The present invention is provided to solve the problems discussed above and other problems, and to provide advantages and aspects not previously provided. A full discussion of the features and advantages of the present invention is deferred to the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.